District Attorney: Changes Made After Remy Case

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said she's tightened up the handling of domestic violence investigations because of the Jared Remy case.

Remy pleaded guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder for fatally stabbing his girlfriend Jennifer Martel last year. He was sentenced to life without parole.

A report requested by Ryan found prosecutors poorly handled the assault allegations against Remy, son of Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy, including failing to adequately consider his history of domestic violence.

Ryan had released an executive summary of the report in December, but decided to release the full report Tuesday after Remy decided to plead guilty.

Remy was arrested Aug. 13 after he allegedly pushed Martel into a mirror. He was released on his own recognizance Aug. 14 and stabbed her to death at their apartment the next day.

Ryan said in a statement that assistant district attorneys in the district courts previously had the discretion to make bail recommendations themselves. She said that under the new policy, "each recommendation in a domestic violence case now requires the review and approval of a supervisor or second prosecutor."

The report was conducted by former Essex County District Attorney and Secretary of Public Safety Kevin Burke and Norfolk County First Assistant District Attorney Jeanmarie Carroll.

It said prosecutors also placed too much weight on Martel's decision not to seek an extension of a restraining order against him. The couple had a daughter, then 4 years old.

The report found that while Middlesex District Attorney staff considered Martel's safety "of utmost importance," they did not sufficiently weigh all the risk factors in the case.

"We find that in this instance the absence of a dialogue among colleagues or request for a supervisor's opinion for both the assistant district and the victim witness advocate is striking," the report said. "We find that critical information that was available at the time of arraignment ... was not given appropriate attention or weight."